TikTok is discontinuing its photo-sharing platform, TikTok Notes, on May 8. The app, which was piloted in Canada, Australia, and Vietnam last year, will soon cease operations.

Users are now being informed of this decision and are being steered towards Lemon8, another ByteDance-owned platform with a nearly identical feature set. The shift isn’t unexpected, given the similarities between the two apps.

“We appreciate the insights gathered from TikTok Notes and will incorporate them into Lemon8, enhancing it as a space for photo-sharing within our community,” a TikTok representative shared with TechCrunch.

Though TikTok hasn’t explicitly revealed why Notes is being shelved, low adoption rates might be a key factor. Instead, the company is investing in Lemon8, which had approximately 12.5 million active users globally as of December 2024.

A message to TikTok Notes users emphasizes that shutting down the app was a tough call. It urges them to save their data and migrate to Lemon8, which offers a broader creative toolkit.

Originally introduced in Japan in 2020, Lemon8 has since expanded across Southeast Asia and the U.S.. With features akin to Instagram and Pinterest, it enables users to curate photo carousels and browse through personalized feeds.

Notably, ByteDance has also been positioning Lemon8 as a TikTok alternative amid regulatory scrutiny in the U.S., integrating TikTok login access and content cross-sharing in November 2024.